Megafauna previous to bestiary 2?


Product Discussion


Megafauna was added as a category in I believe bestiary 2 or 3, but there are some creatures from before that release which are very iconicly megafauna in history,ie mammoth/mastadon.

Has there been anything to include them as such or are they stuck as not being part of the category?

The Mammoth Master trait specifies them seperately, but is worded in such a way that emplies they are supposed to be part of the group, so are they?

http://www.d20pfsrd.com/traits/regional-traits/mammoth-master-regional-real m-of-the-mammoth-lords/

Thanks

Sczarni

Linkified

Due to the possibility of table variation, I'd suggest that you keep it limited to the examples given in the Trait: mammoths, mastodons, woolly rhinoceroses and creatures classified as "megafauna" (such as those from Bestiary 2).


Nefreet wrote:

Linkified

Due to the possibility of table variation, I'd suggest that you keep it limited to the examples given in the Trait: mammoths, mastodons, woolly rhinoceroses and creatures classified as "megafauna" (such as those from Bestiary 2).

Thank you Nefreet.

I guess I should have stated in the original that my concern wasn't for the sake of the trait as it makes itself very clear, but for the sake of other things that reference Megafauna such as the Goliath Druid whom can only take Dinosaurs and Megafauna for their animal companion.

Grand Lodge

But do you then add the dire animals? Maybe a goliath druid should. I think the trait makes a clear distinction: mammoths, mastodons and woolly rhinoceroses are close relatives of current real-world animals while megafauna are groups extinct on Earth.

To put it another way, though it does say "other megafauna", the trait could be read more to include megafauna in the group "animals that are similar to mammoths".

Sczarni

Zephyre14 wrote:
my concern wasn't for the sake of the trait as it makes itself very clear, but for the sake of other things that reference Megafauna such as the Goliath Druid whom can only take Dinosaurs and Megafauna

Same answer, really. There are creatures classified as "Dinosaurs" and "Megafauna". A Goliath Druid would have no problem selecting one of those creatures as a Companion.

But if you tried to select something like a Bear or Boar, just be prepared for the inevitable GM that'll say "No".

I would personally only allow Dinosaurs or Megafauna myself. Though in a homegame I could probably be persuaded to open up other options.

Grand Lodge

Starglim wrote:
But do you then add the dire animals?

That's a good question. I definitely would because I've seen a post stating that those would be classified as megafauna had that classification been around then. I'd allow it.

But for PFS the answer is obviously no.

Sczarni

Do Dire Animals have Companion statblocks?

Would probably require some homebrewing.


I can't find the other post I was looking for which seems to be the one that claudekennilol is talking about, but this one from James Jacobs shows that at least in his classification the Smilodon and Mammoth are megafauna, but that doesn't necessarilly mean such in game terms just at least in real world terms.

http://paizo.com/threads/rzs2k60j?Bestiary-II-Wish-List#45

I agree and understand that right now rules as written which is what matters for PFS the mammoth, smilodon and other real world megafauna of Bestiary 1 are not classified as megafauna for game purposes.

I guess I more wondered if there had been anything to officially change this and/or if it should be changed.

As far as the dire creatures I would have them evaluated for the category too as I have seen it stated before that at least the dire tiger is supposed be effectively be the sabertooth tiger.

Sczarni

Linkified

I doubt anything will be changed in the original Bestiary for one annoyingly tiny detail: page numbering.

The Design Team won't modify any content if it means changing the page it's listed on (or affects other content) because so many other books have been released since that reference those page numbers.

It's why some of the more bothersome Core rules never get changed, despite multiple printings and updates.

Grand Lodge

Nefreet wrote:

Do Dire Animals have Companion statblocks?

Would probably require some homebrewing.

Sorry, I meant more in line with "I'd classify dire animals as megafauna" (because I've seen a post stating they would have been had that classification been around for the first bestiary). That doesn't make up for no statblocks, but would for other things that require that classification.

Sovereign Court

So, on the biological hand, anything over Tiny size is megafauna. Obviously, we can't turn to the real world for help.

On the gaming side, many (but not all!) of the Dire Animals are explicitly called out as specific Cenozoic animals that would 100% be classified as Megafauna in the Pathfinder sense had that classification existed in B1.

I think the most likely solution will be taking the Dire Animals that would be B2 or later Megafauna, and giving them animal companion stats in a hypothetical Realm of the Mammoth Lords Pathfinder Campaign Setting book

I'm pretty much in total agreement to allow the obvious B1 candidates to count as megafauna for these classes. But I don't run PFS or prioritize RAW over RAI.

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